Goat getting my goat.

I have a six month old dwarf nigerian billy goat. What is the proper way to castrate him at this age? His testicles are huge! He is also starting to get really stubborn. Thank you.

- Douglas County

A:

Castration techniques have always varied between producer preferences, however when castrating sheep and goats, elastrator bands are typically used when the lambs/kids are only a week or two old. Using an elastrator band might be a possibility with your six month old billy goat, but it probably will be quite traumatic for him at his age and size and the likelihood of causing some internal damage will be fairly high. The first recommendation would be to call a vet, and they will probably either recommend a surgery if you are really determined to make him a wether, or leave him as an in-tact male. Good luck!

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